How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend

by Monks of New Skete

For nearly a quarter century HOW TO BE YOUR DOG'S BEST FRIEND has been the standard against which all other dog-training books have been measured. This new, expanded edition, with a fresh, new design and new photographs throughout, preserves the best features of the original classic while bringing the book fully up-to-date. The result: the ultimate training manual for a new-generation of dog owners- and of course, for their canine best friends. The Monks of New Skete have achieved international renown as breeders of German shepherds and as outstanding trainers of dogs of all breeds. Their unique approach to canine training, developed and refined over three decades, is based on the philosophy that "understanding is the key to communication, compassion and communion with your dog." This new edition covers virtually every aspect of living with and caring for your dog, and has been expanded to encompass the latest equipment and dozens of new anecdotes and case studies, drawn from the monks' own experience, that bring to life the essential training concepts. This book can significantly enrich the life you share with your dog.

• ISBN10: 0316610003
• ISBN13: 9780316610001
• Publish Date: 5 February 1998 (first published 1 January 1978)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[nannah]

I got this book as a recommended dog training manual (from an internet list somewhere). Unfortunately, only maybe 50 of 350 pages were about actually training your dog, and the rest was,

"If you/your dog has a problem, make sure to take them to obedience training! / Solve it when they're a puppy! / Breeding takes out these undesirable traits! / etc."

Okay, but that doesn't ... help me ... that much now.
Plus, it's obvious the authors are pretty much elitists when it comes to dogs, and there's maybe a generation gap that makes me dislike their attitude so much. They mention shelter dogs once in passing, I think? Otherwise: get dogs from a breeder, or else! Or else you're supporting and pushing pet shop sales! And purebreds? VERY IMPORTANT. Gotta breed all undesirable traits out, you know, unless your dog is going to have behavior problems --FOREVER.

I also kept waiting for the moment actual training tips would begin, but the authors kept sending me other places: read more from the recommended reading pages in the back, take your dog to obedience training--and not just "park" obedience training, take your dog to a specialist, etc. Apparently the first thing you need to do to train your dog is take them to obedience training. You can't do anything on your own ?

And apparently you can't buy adult dogs, either (esp. at a shelter, where you don't know the dogs' bloodlines!!). You need to buy a puppy from a breeder to send them to "ktp" --> Kindergarten Puppy Classes, and then to obedience training. ("Since your dog already has a basic understanding of sit from puppy classes ...")

There's also a very handy section on how to name your dog! "Two-syllable words are recommended, and one syllable is not, even though they're common", etc. Don't name your dogs after something about their appearance (i.e. Spot), and don't name your dog cutesy things like Cupcake! Excuse you, me and my rottweiler, Cupcake, will be happy together forever (I had rottweilers growing up, and most of them were huge softies; Cupcake would fit perfectly).

I wish this was a simple manual on how to teach (or re-teach, in this case) my dog basic things, but the actual lessons it contained were overshadowed by a bunch of elitist blather.